Alumni & Entrepreneur - Céline Jean - Esquisse

Dear alumni,

Today we invite you to discover a new portrait of Alumni & Entrepreneur.

This week, we had the pleasure to discuss with Céline Jean (IFM Management 1999), Founder of Esquisse.

Hello Céline, 

Thank you for taking the time to answer our few questions.

Our first ritual question is related to Fashion, it always brings us together as IFM Alumni....

In your career, who is the designer who inspired you the most and to whom you can still refer today?

I would say Simon Porte for Jacquemus. I think he's great. He's a great source of inspiration for me. He's very different from other designers of his time. He's very young and yet he's doing real prowess and dusting off fashion.

In my work, inspiration comes to me quite quickly, I have a creative spirit. I have everything in my head and I know exactly what I want.

Do you have a must have in your wardrobe? Something you can't get rid of? 

Yes, it's a very structured black suit jacket from Chloe's. It's rich in details, including a beautiful ribbon on the arm, stitched in an officer's style. It's a great timeless classic, which I easily associate with my otherwise rather casual style of dress. 

With this jacket, I look chic.

For the record, I bought this piece just after graduating from the IFM. And despite the years, it's still perfect!

Imagine that you can only eat one dish, which one would you choose?

I have hummus madness. I'm a huge fan. I've rediscovered this flavour that is mainly made up of chickpeas on New Year's Eve. And I can't get enough of it. 

If this love affair with hummus continues, I plan to prepare it myself....

Thank you Céline for these crucial points of your personality... We can now begin our alphabet of questions.

Question A - Let's start with the letter A... And so let's start with the beginning of your story.  How did you start Sketch?

After 12 years at ETAM and 3 different jobs, I decided to leave the group. In my last position, I was in charge of buying in the development of the Undiz brand. Between the rhythm of the collections' releases - I had to propose new products all the time - and the trips to China to negotiate prices, I couldn't find my way around. The concept of fast fashion was no longer in line with my own values. 

So I took a six-month break. At first, I didn't know what I wanted to do... And to be quite honest, I had never considered entrepreneurship before this stage.

I took some time to think about it. 

This break led me to an evidence: I had the desire to continue my career in my favorite sector: underwear but I wanted to associate my commitment for a better manufacturing conditions of my collections and environment but also with a new look on the female body.

So I launched Esquisse in this spirit, an exclusive underwear brand: I wanted to combine the aesthetics of original printed patterns with the comfort of a second skin panty. With a minimum of sewing, Esquisse lingerie is laser cut and not cut with a blade as traditionally done. The laser cauterizes the thread so that it does not fray. It is a guarantee of durability to maintain your lingerie more easily.

The brand was born in 2015 and until 2019, we manufactured our underwear exclusively in France. Then we decided to expand production to Italy and Portugal, while maintaining a large part in France. 

The landscapes printed on my products are, for the most part, my own photographs. I print in France at an exceptional factory of the Hermès group which has an extremely fine and powerful digital printing tool. This technique allows me to print the patterns of my underwear with an almost infinite number of colours per print. 

Concerning the organization of Esquisse. I'm all alone at the moment. I don't have employees. I work with a full-time trainee and of course freelancers: stylists, model makers, graphic designers, commercial agencies... For the moment, it suits me, but I hope, for the development of the company, to have a right-hand person. This will come with time. Nothing should be rushed. 

Finally, I don't have my own shop, only an e.shop : https://esquisse-lingerie.com/

Question B as Breaking point 

At some point, you made this decision to switch over to become an entrepreneur, how did it happen?

My decision to become an entrepreneur was probably triggered when I realized that I really wanted to live as close as possible to my values while continuing to work in a sector that I am passionate about and that I know better than any other.

At work, I've always been the creative one, I had that label. I had this desire to create, I was very inspired. So I took the initiative, but I knew I needed help. I joined the BGE incubator (Boutique de Gestion des Entreprises de Paris). I attended many training courses and conferences on all aspects of creating a business. I was also followed by a counsellor, I think that helped me a lot.

Question C for Council 

In your opinion, what is the best quality of a entrepreneur? What advice would you give to a student who is attracted to entrepreneurship?

I would say that you should first follow your intuition. I've been guided by my own intuition myself, I think that we shouldn't be intimidated or create barriers to our desires or our creativity. 

Then, I would say that it is not impossible to go it alone. Of course, I often ask for advice and seek opinions from those around me. But I've had this little feeling from the beginning that always comes back: You mustn't go against your feelings and believe in yourself! 

So I think that despite everything, you have to have a great sense of organization. You shouldn't be afraid of the workload that's going to fall on you. Being alone, I absorb about 3 positions. But be careful, the idea is not to leave a big company to live a creative experience where you become a slave to your own system, you're overwhelmed and you can't manage anything anymore. So you have to be aware of the work you have to do while having a good dose of organization. 

Today, I feel that my project could be carried by two people, I'm completely open to the idea of joining forces, it will bring a breath of fresh air. If the opportunity arises, I will be there. 

Question D comme Durable 

Esquisse advocates a more sustainable fashion, a responsible fashion? Could you tell us more about your commitments? Also, mentalities are changing, lifestyles will most likely be overturned? How can Esquisse fit into this new paradigm ?

More than ever, Esquisse has its place in this world we are building. Since the crisis, my e.shop turnover has been multiplied by 5. When I thought I was doing sustainable fashion, just 4 years ago, it was a subject, but it wasn't really global, it was a " niche". Since 2 years ago, it has become an unavoidable subject. 

My products are designed to last. At Esquisse, we advocate a different way of consuming: buy less and buy better. 

I very much hope that many things will change, that the economy will recover, but in a different way. This change can only come about through the consumer himself. By acting as a real citizen with our bank cards, we have the real power of decision. 

The website has been a great success, we will have to confirm the consequences of this confinement. Then, in the autumn, I would like to outsource the logistics of the shipping orders. This will free up my time for other matters. 

Finally, the main objective will be to establish the brand on the digital level: to continue to develop the presence on the Social Networks and to think about building a new website.

We'll go back to Question N... It's the Network question. Do you network for your projects? That of the IFM Alumni? What do these networks bring you?

One of my areas of improvement is precisely that. I am not very networked. I have very little time to develop it, between my company and my children... It is difficult.

But it's very important and I really need to find some time to develop my network. The IFM is a superb school, I benefit from its excellent network. I know I could contribute more. 

Last year, we organized between IFM Alumni and the IFM Observatory a round table on the world of lingerie to address both the market but also the current societal changes in our relationship to the body. And now I'm joining the Entrepreneur Club!

Question Y 

Our penultimate question... what's the last thing you wouldn't expect to do as a contractor?

The one thing I wouldn't expect as an entrepreneur is this infernal succession of events over the last three years. 

In 2018 with the yellow jackets, in 2019 and the strike against the pension reform and in 2020, the Covid 19 crisis. Really, who would have thought? What's going to happen next? A real change in consumption patterns, I hope.

Question Z 

What would tomorrow's Esquisse look like?

There are several of us in the company, we have a superb shop-workshop where it is possible to see, from the windows, our inspirational laboratory.